Press Release
February 10, 2009

LOREN PUSHES FOR THE PASSAGE OF FOOD SAFETY BILL

Senator Loren Legarda, chair of the Senate Committee on agriculture and food, will push for the immediate passage of a comprehensive bill on food safety that would ensure the highest quality of agriculture and fishery products for both domestic and international market.

Loren also seeks to rationalize the functions of concerned agencies such as the Bureau of Agriculture and Fishery Products Standards (BAFPS) and other regulatory agencies of the Department of Agriculture (DA).

The senator's move is in line with the pronouncement of an agency of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) which is banking on the food sector to cushion the current economic crunch as the semi-conductor and electronics industry is being hardly hit by the global financial crisis and called on it to "attain Philippine identity for food products".

The DOST's Philippine Council for Industry and Energy Research and Development (PCIERD) is zeroing in on food as one of its research priorities this year.

" In line with this, I urged the BAFPS to formulate and enforce standards of quality in the processing, preservation, packaging, labeling, importation, exportation, distribution, and advertising of agricultural and fisheries products," Loren said.

The BAFPS was established as mandated under the Agriculture and Fisheries Modernization Act (AFMA) and was tasked to set and implement standards for fresh, primary-and-secondary-processed agricultural and fishery products.

The functions of the BAFPS include: to conduct research on product standardization, alignment of local standards with the international standards; and conduct regular inspection of processing plants, storage facilities, abattoirs, as well as public and private markets in order to ensure freshness, safety and quality of products.

"The passage of the Halal bill and other marketing concerns should also be prioritized to recognize the Muslim concept of food safety as well as take advantage of investments and export opportunities in Islamic countries." Loren said.

"The Philippines, as a nation, should recognize that the concept of food safety is culture-bound. The Muslim's preference for pork-less food reflects the religious belief that pork is not good for health. Filipino food producers should respect this belief by labeling food products. Considering the many aspects of food safety, I have been putting up a comprehensive bill on this subject." the senator stressed.

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